Laughter and Tears

It's the end of our second full day. And I mean FULL day. We spent the morning at the work site trying to finish up our jobs from yesterday. These kids worked SO hard. Our foreman in charge today was Mike... and he came up to me at the end of the morning and said "you should be very very proud of these kids. I don't see kids like this very often. They are very hard workers, and they are here doing very important work". It made me so happy to know that we've been a blessing to the regular work crew who is trying so hard every day to get this home finished. We came here with a heart to serve everyone we can, and I felt like we brought some brightness and hope to Mike and his team today. What a blessing.

This afternoon we headed to the Children's Home for many hours of fun in the sun. It's hard to explain how intense it is to keep 80 kids with endless energy occupied. Especially when we're just a team of white people who are melting in the heat and can barely keep up. But once again, our team was amazing. Spending time at the home just brings out something inside of each one of us that keeps one foot moving in front of the other. Some of the guys on our team played 5 games of football (soccer) and then 3 games of basketball in a row today in 40 degree heat with no shade. I have never seen them so tired and sweaty, but I couldn't have paid them enough to stop playing. Spending time with these kids truly turns love into a verb. I saw Dallas and Edgar chase each other around all afternoon. And Rachelle played at least 100 games of tic tac toe with her little buddy. And our guys went and played basketball at the city court for 2 hours straight. And Maxton got a serious work out catching kids as they jumped off the playground into his arms. And then there were quieter moments, like Kristen holding her little buddy as he fell asleep in her arms for an hour. Or Chancelle sitting with Moses on her lap as he entertained himself with her water bottle. Or Lauren W. getting her hair braided by Alexia. We wish that we could take all of these moments and freeze them in time. Because time is already passing too quickly. There are just not enough hours in the day to love these kids enough!

Tonight we're going to hear from Katie and Cassie as they share a little bit of their heart with you....

Cassie

Hello from Belize, there is so much I could tell you all about this incredible experience but I feel like I could write a novel about it already and its only been 2 days. There as just been so many eye opening things that I have seen. From how well the team works together at the work site, to the absolutely heart breaking smiles of the children at KCH. Today while at the children's home I brought out my camera and spent a lot of time taking pictures and attempting to capture the beauty of the team interacting with the children. It was amazing how patient and energetic they are with the children is so encouraging. Having kids who I have never met run up to me and embrace me like I never felt before just puts a smile on my face and tears in my eyes.. almost :) Their undying love is incredible. All of this makes me want to work so hard while at the work site knowing how much I love them and how much they really need the space. Today we all got to experience a Belize tradition that I have heard a lot about, cholis and yes the talk is true, they are amazing! The cherry on top of my day! To all my family and friends at home I send my love and prayers your way! Hope your February break is great! And to all the other parents out there, your kids are amazing and I am so grateful for each of them. I absolutely love spending time with them!

Katie

Wow this place is so amazing i don't even know where to start! Im sure Kristin has been keeping you all updated with what has been going on everyday and with all the details so I'm just going to talk about the awesome things I am personally experiencing. Seeing God's breath taking beauty all around me is completely blowing my mind, theres something so special about this place I cant even start to put it into words. Today I had an awesome highlight at the Kings Children's home and it really stirred something inside of me. A little 5 year old boy named James, that i had spent time getting to know yesterday remembered me today when we went to visit. He knew my name right away and automatically wanted to run around, play on the monkey bars and kick around the worn and flat "football." Just to see the pure joy in that child's face brought me so much energy in what felt like +40 heat to just push through and embrace every moment with these special children. There is so much more I could write about, but its getting close to bed time and I need every bit of sleep I can get. I hope everyone is enjoying their break and not missing the team too much. I ensure all you worried parents that your children are doing amazing and there is nothing to worry about, and that being said, yes mom I am doing just fine! Please continue to pray for our team and that everyone continues to stay healthy. Thank you everyone for your support! Love you Mom, Dad, Dustin, "The Boys", all my family, and all my friends!

There's not much I can say after those awesome words from the girls. Please keep praying for us... that we would fully be able to embrace being here and learn what we are supposed to. That we would not take one second for granted, and continue to serve in every way that we can. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog, and we'll share it with the team.

We love and appreciate each one of you. Be blessed!!! We're humbled by your support.

Kristin